They said they saw couples posing for engagement and wedding photos on the beach every day. Ferland and DeQuattro became engaged themselves Tuesday, and Ferland would have proposed on the beach — but it was raining.

Hawaii's Waimanalo Bay Beach Park on Oahu, and Hamoa Beach on Maui, were also among the top 10 beaches Leatherman named this year. The others were Florida's Barefoot Beach, St. George Island State Park, Key Biscayne and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park; North Carolina's Cape Hatteras; Massachusetts' Cape Cod; and South Carolina's Kiawah Island.

Duke Kahanamoku Beach is the 13th Hawaii beach to win the distinction as America's best — the fourth on Oahu, following Hanauma Bay, Kailua Beach Park and Lanikai Beach. Once a beach wins, Leatherman retires it from consideration for future lists.

Outside Hawaii, Florida boasts the most past winners in the Dr. Beach rankings, with seven. New York beaches have won twice, while California and North Carolina have produced one top beach apiece.

This already has been a big spring for Duke Kahanamoku Beach. In the new blockbuster movie "Godzilla," it's where the monster clambers out of the Pacific and into Waikiki, flooding the streets and demolishing hotels.

Leatherman, who did his Ph.D. on beach erosion, said such a kaiju attack would hurt the beach in his rankings if the debris wasn't cleaned up. "The tsunami itself would go over top of the whole thing," he said, "and the beach would still be there."